Ducks seek ‘starting point’ after ugly loss to Caps

ANAHEIM - Ducks rookie winger Bobby Ryan, playing in just his second NHL game this season, scored two goals and added an assist Wednesday night at Honda Center, but had no chance to enjoy any of it.

Being part of a team that surrendered three goals, including two on the power play, in the opening seven minutes, 13 seconds of a 6-4 loss to the Alex Ovechkin-led Washington Capitals had that effect.

"Ultimately, that game was an embarrassment," Ryan said.

Ducks coach Randy Carlyle couldn't have put it better himself.

"That's inexcusable, to not have the execution level and the composure, with the veteran group we have, to put more than that type of hockey game together for ourselves," Carlyle said. "We have to get back to playing our style of hockey. We don't have a starting point right now. We have to create a starting point. That's what we, as coaches, have to do."

Other than the performance of Ryan, who had a team-high five shots and plus-2 mark, perhaps the only positive for the Ducks is the fact they are headed to St. Louis on Friday and Dallas on Saturday. After going only 4-3-2 in nine home dates during a 10-game stretch since Oct. 29, the Ducks will hope to rekindle the spark created during a sweep of the preceding four-game road swing.

Carlyle isn't banking on a mere change of surroundings providing a panacea.

"I'm very disappointed in our group," he said. "I think they're disappointed with themselves. We have to find a way. As I said to them after, it's not going to come from anywhere but in there. We have to reach back, accept responsibility for how we played, make some changes and play a higher level of game. It's going to get tougher. It's not going to get easier."

After having seemingly made some much-needed defensive progress during Sunday's 2-0 shutout of the visiting Kings, the Ducks got themselves in early trouble against Washington with a series of defensive-zone turnovers. Minor penalties on defenseman Bret Hedican and center Ryan Getzlaf compounded the difficulty, and the Capitals took advantage with power-play goals from TomasFleischmann and defenseman Mike Green before the game was four minutes old.

"We have to be ready to play," Ducks right wing Corey Perry said. "They're a skilled team, but we knew that. We knew we couldn't come in and take penalties. Their power play is too good. They have some skilled guys, but if we play five-on-five, you never know what can happen."

Nicklas Backstrom added an even strength-goal on Washington's sixth shot of the game, spelling an early exit for Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller. Ryan scored once and set up a Getzlaf goal as the Ducks pulled within 3-2 before the end of the first period, but the Capitals quickly re-established control with a power-play strike from Ovechkin 2:43 into the second.

Ovechkin, who won the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player last season, had only eight points, including two goals, in his first 11 games this season. With a four-point effort that included assists on Washington's first three goals Wednesday, he has six goals and 14 points in the past five games.

"You don't give yourself a chance to get back in the game if you're going to take four or five minor (penalties) per period," Carlyle said. "We've only talked about it about 250 million times. Obviously, we have to resort to some drastic measures. We're going to continue to make changes and consider lineup changes if that's going to continue. There are options."

Washington converted three of eight manpower advantages, leaving the Ducks with an ugly 79.1 percent rate killing penalties. It is even worse, just 77.1 percent, on home ice.

"We're fighting it, obviously, on the PK," Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said. "We haven't found an answer yet. I'm kind of out of ideas at this point.

"We're sort of up and down, up and down. That's not how we want to have it go. That's for sure."

NOTES

Versatile Ducks forward Brian Sutherby left the game in the second period because of a leg injury and will be further assessed Thursday, Carlyle said. ... Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne scored his team-leading 10th goal, and first in five games, on a third-period, power-play chance. ... Perry had three assists. ... Matt Bradley and David Steckel also scored Capitals goals. ... Washington played most of the game with only five defensemen because Green suffered an upper-body injury when he absorbed a big hit from Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger 13:28 into the first period. ... The Capitals played without injured center Alexander Semin, who leads the team with 13 goals and 27 points, and former Ducks center Sergei Fedorov.

THREE STARS

1. ALEX OVECHKIN: Washington star followed up a hat trick in his first visit to Anaheim with a goal and three assists

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